The Warriors
by A. LaRosa
Summary: Sukka, drabble collection. Review!
1. One

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender; Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have me beat.

**Author's Note:** I've been planning on doing this for a while, but didn't start until a couple of days ago when I was working on my Sukka fanmix and planned on putting drabbles to it–so, I decided to hit two birds with one stone, so to speak. Here at the first five installments for 10(underscore)inspirations, and the other five will be following shortly (as well as ten others for Kataang).

Please, **review **when you're done and tell me what you think! Enjoy!

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_**The Warriors**_

**Rating **: PG-13

_August 14, 2008_

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_**01**__. The hatred you're carrying is a live coal in your heart - far more damaging to yourself than to them._

She used to watch him glance up at the moon with a frown, deep worry on his face, even with a touch of guilt. She knew that he believed that life had take its proper course, but she also couldn't help but be jealous of the moon spirit, Yue, in all of her magnificent beauty. She was jealous because she felt insignificant, impure even, to the great legend of the Northern Water Tribe princess. Even after all this time, she still felt unavoidable hostility towards the deceased, and found that it was she, herself, that glanced up at the moon with a frown, deep worry on her face–though she never felt any guilt. She was overly smug, her pride swelling at the fact that it was his child _she_ was carrying, not her. Never her. She would never know the feeling of being completely immersed in all that was Sokka, his body moving with hers as he cried out _her_ name. No, she definitely wouldn't. She smirked at the moon triumphantly, cocking an eyebrow in challenge.

She suddenly felt stupid, running a hand over her face, pinching the bridge of her nose before rubbing her eyes.

How can a person hate something so pretty?

Sighing, she glanced away from the natural beauty, feeling childish over her jealousy. It always seemed to come out on the full moon.

Turning away from the moon, she walked away from the shore, bidding a silent farewell.

_**02**__._ _leitmotif: a dominant and recurring theme_

She found herself on the ground, looking up at Sokka who was grinning down at her triumphantly. With one swift movement, she knocked him off of his feet, so that he was down on her level.

"You're an ass."

"I love you, too," he responded sarcastically, only to be jabbed sharply in the ribs by her index finger. Even with the warning glare she gave him as he moved above her, she didn't refuse his kiss–she never would.

"You bring this on yourself entirely, I hope you know."

"I've been told that my life is full of 'struggle and anguish, most of it self-inflicted', so I understand where you're coming from and agree, if only slightly. You can't deny that you brought me upon _yourself_, though," he grinned, still above her. He nodded to her arms around his waist, and she rolled her eyes.

"You came upon me, I... I just held you here. I'm a bit of a masochist, I've been learning lately. This seems to be happening a lot more lately, not that I'm complaining."

With a hard tug on the front of his shirt, his lips were on hers again.

_**03**__. While you wonder how's this gonna end, I only want it to begin -- Ben Lee : Begin_

"We need to talk about something," she said softly, refusing to look at his face while they walked along the shore.

"Need to? What's wrong?" he asked, noticing the way she was holding herself, a definite change than how she normally did–her eyes were averted, she continued to wring her hands, and every so often he'd see her lift a hand to bite at her nail. Something was making her nervous, something that she didn't want to talk about. He frowned. "Really, what is it, Suki? You know you can tell me anything."

"I know," she replied.

"But?"

"_But_, this is difficult to approach, so give me a second, all right?" she snapped, though soft enough for him to hear the pain in her voice.

"All right," he responded, looking up at the sky, up at the moon. His frown deepened, but when he looked at the moon, his mind flashed to an event earlier that day that had upset Suki, and–if it was possible–his frown grew.

"I know it's unfair of me to think of it in this light," she began, looking out at the water. "I know it's horrible of me to even bring this up, with everything that has happened, but I can't help but feel like I'm second best–"

"I love _you_, Suki."

"–I don't see how–" her sentence broke off, her wild eyes turning to him now, wide with shock. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me," he responded, turning so they were facing each other, stopped. "It hurts, sure, and my heart was broken, but I found someone that helped me fall in love again, even more than I thought was even possible. I may say stupid things sometimes, but really, don't doubt me on this one, okay? Think of _our_ future, not my past–it's in the past for a reason."

"Don't freak out," she started slowly, a blush growing on her cheeks as she geared up to respond to his earlier statement, "and don't run and hide, but... I think I love you, too. I think I'm so deeply in love with you that I–"

She was silenced by his lips, and they stayed that way for a long time, even with the moonlight shining down on them.

_**04**__. frisson: a brief moment of intense excitement_

That look in his eyes always brought an unnatural amount of heat to her cheeks, the way he looked at her as if she was the only person in the entire world that could save him from burning alive. She felt as if she appeared the same way to him, her gaze melting with his as their lips crashed together.

Some days they were soft and tentative, and some _other_ days they were rough and passionate–this was one of those latter days, as they sought refuge underneath a dock, their bodies coming together, always in unison, before whispering words and promises of love and adoration to one another.

They were young and in love. With the war finally over and an actual future in the horizon for the both of them, they felt the need to live like reckless teenagers for once in their lives. They deserved it.

_**05**__. I forgive you for what you've done, if you say that I'm the one -- Gavin DeGraw : Just Friends_

He felt the need to protect her, make sure she would be so far out of harm's way that he wouldn't need to worry about her safety... the problem with that way of thinking, though, was that she loved being in harm's way, she loved the thrill of battle, the force behind fighting and defending those she loved.

She was a warrior, as was he.

Women warriors were becoming more and more common in their travels, but none so outspoken and beautiful as her. He knew he was biased, especially with how she had taken to him–despite him thinking otherwise in the first place, but he couldn't help but admire and fear her strength at the same time. He knew it was going to catch up with her one of these days and he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

When he had heard Azula had captured and imprisoned Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, his heart nearly dropped out of his chest, knowing that she had finally lost, maybe once and for all. He bit back his fear, knowing his mission at hand, but unable to fully let it go. He felt like she had betrayed his immediate trust, the trust that he had foolishly put in her in hopes she would stay safe–he should've known she would break that promise. She fought for the same things he fought for, and he knew he wouldn't have been able to keep that promise, either.

When he and Zuko had found her by accident at The Boiling Rock, that feeling returned to his heart, the one he had thought he had lost forever. Nearly heartbroken twice within the past year, he figured that he wouldn't be able to continue, crippled with grief.

She _was_ strong, and she had managed to even further her training while in captivity, using her time in solitude as training hours, planning to keep herself fit in case of an escape.

When he held her for the first time in months, he finally realized... he wasn't the one who had to protect her, _she_ was the one who sought him out and strove to protect him at any cost. Instantly, he forgave his wrongful betrayal.

For that, he gave her his heart wrapped in glass, which she traded with her own.


	2. Two

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender; Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko have me beat.

**Author's Note:** Here is the second half of the drabbles!

Please, **review **when you're done and tell me what you think! Enjoy!

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The Warriors

**Rating **: PG-13

_March 20, 2009_

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_**06.**__ He rose, proud and strong, defying all who would stand against him._

When he showed her his vulnerabilities, that's when she knew she was making a difference in his life. Any guy could put up a tough front, pretend they were just plain amazing, and get a girl to fall in love with them–those were the selfless idiots she grew to hate at a young age. When they first met, that's who she thought she saw. Despite her original assumptions, he turned around and asked for her forgiveness, hoping that she would train him. This had shocked her–the first time it happened.

Sokka would mess up often, say the wrong thing, do something the wrong way; and, when she didn't jump down his throat about it, he subtly took that into consideration and tried to better himself as a result. That's what she wanted to see in him. She wanted him to grow with her, not rely on her for that change in himself. He became more independent, thinking less about what others thought about him, and stood proud and tall in his own skin, just as she did, defying all who would stand against him–them. The only change was that his arm would be locked around her shoulders, holding her close to him.

When she found herself at the point of no return, looking back at her old life with the Kyoshi Warriors, she smiled–she loved him, truly loved him, and that was all she had really wanted. For better or for worse, when he was a pain in her ass or she was a thorn in his side. For when he would laugh at his own pathetic jokes, she found herself laughing with him. For when he would tear up at a certain play when an old love was mentioned, she would feel jealous, but not hold it against him.

She would love him, more than he would ever know, and know that he loved her in return without even needing to say a word.

_**07.**_ _philomath: a lover of learning; a scholar_

Whenever he got into these moods, with an overwhelming need to show how much he had learned from books that he had picked up during his travels, she would just tune him in and out while she made lists in her head.

He rambled on about scientific discoveries, how their world would be advancing as time progressed, and how there may be even crazier discoveries through generations.

She made lists in her head of what needed to be done around their house. His rambling gave her enough time to plan and plot household projects she would propose to him later, and just... mellow out after a stressful day of training with her girls. Granted, she would need to slow down with the upcoming months ahead of her, but... whatever, she needed to use the time she had to be–

"Did you listen to what I just said, Suki?" Sokka asked, pouting at her, his eyebrows knitted together. "I don't talk just to hear my voice, you know."

"That's not it..." she trailed off, feeling guilty that she was caught. She felt as if she dozed off during a lecture and got called on to repeat the information back to the teacher.

"You were talking about the equations of aerodynamics and how you'll be able to unmask even more scientific advances with additional research. Right?"

She had to have some skill in her arsenal. He may be a smooth talker and full of information that could put her to sleep, but she could bullshit her way out of the worst situation. Pulling something scientific out of thin air, she managed to hit it straight on.

Way to go, Suki.

His features immediately perked up and he grinned before kissing her forehead. "I'm glad you were listening." Directly following, he launched right back into his information spree.

He loved to learn, sure, but now he was just dragging down loved ones.

_**08.**_ _pleonasm: the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea_

She thought they were done with this.

After making love, he would generally mumble an almost incoherent declaration of love before falling sound asleep with his arms wrapped around her. She would follow soon after, comfortable and satisfied.

Now, however... he couldn't shut up about the maintenance he wanted to do to the house. While that didn't make her feel great how his mind turned to fixing the house after sex, she couldn't take it anymore. She did _not_ care, and she just wanted to shut her eyes and pass the hell out.

"Sleep, Sokka. Please. I'm worn out," she yawned, snuggling against him in a vain attempt to sleep.

"Let's go again, I got it in me–"

"Wait, talking about the house turns you on again? The hell?"

"No, no, I mean... you're awake, I'm awake..."

"Not for long," she sighed. "If you don't shut up now, you're sleeping on the couch," she singsonged, patting his chest lightly for emphasis. "And you know how important sleep is right now if I'm willing to give up my body pillow to get it. Understand?"

He chuckled softly, tightening his hold around her shoulders. "Goodnight," he kissed her forehead before settling back.

Ah, silence.

_**09. **__vainglory: excessive pride or vain display_

When she reflects on it now, she realizes that she was being a huge bitch to her future husband when they first met.

She reflects that she shouldn't have humiliated him in front of her warriors, nor should she have taunted him so openly and meanly. It wasn't in her character to be so cruel to newcomers, but... it _was_ a time of war and she always had to be careful. Despite her standpoint _now _on the entire situation, _then_ it was a great idea to set that arrogant Water Tribe boy straight and prove to her girls who the leader truly was between the two of them.

True, in their relationship, she primarily "wore the pants," as Zuko lovingly put to Sokka one night after a rowdy night at a local tavern–to which he stormed back to the tea shop where they had been staying, swept her up into his arms, and proved his worth at least three times to her that night.

Needless to say, she was not up and functioning the next day. Zuko said nothing at the triumphant smirk on Sokka's face, feeling like his own personal war had been won.

That Water Tribe boy turned right into a Water Tribe _man_ that stole away to her bed nightly, as well as into her heart. She would allow him the right to brag, as long as he wasn't being a sexist pig.

_**10. **__Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit _

After a year of being married, she believed that he should've walked around with a huge sign on his forehead saying, 'I try. Please don't hate me,' to keep reminding her that she was with him for a reason. That reason was because his love was pure and true, no matter how many times he upset her with pointless, nonsensical things.

When he painted their home without consulting her, she forgave him. It took her a week to stop fuming, but she forgave him.

When he thought that what turned out to be morning sickness was anxiety and that should _get over it_, she forgave him the second all of the color drained from his face when the Healer informed them of the news.

When he brought home a small bird from the wild, she screeched (ironically, almost bird-like), backing away from the fluttering creature with complete disdain... and then forgave him when he explained (and demonstrated) that the bird had a broken wing and was in pain. All he wanted to do was nurse it back to health, and she couldn't condemn him for that.

When he used the fabric of one of her favorite training shirts to clean his weaponry, effectively ruining the fabric, she forgave him when he panicked as he realized just what he was using. He then promised to buy her at least fifty new shirts to replace that single one. She let it go, figuring she wouldn't have fit into that shirt again for a while anyway.

The little things that he had done to upset her over the years meant nothing in comparison to the moments that made a world of difference, the touching moments that were permanently stored in her heart–those moments were the ones she knew she had to mark, cherish, and hold dear.


End file.
